Means for adjusting optical instruments.



' P. PERBER. MEANS Pon' ADJUSTINS OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS.

1,1 APPLISATION FILED un. so. 1913. Patented Nov. 24, 1914. y

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 1M

Inventor:

P. PERBBR. l MEANS FOB ADJUSTING 'OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS.

2 SHEETS-snm:

l APPLICATION FILED APB.. 30, 1913. 1 1 1 8, 1 93.

Patented Nov.

Inventor:

d Any bymwwm 'UNITED 'muslim-T @moa EHILIP EEEBEIL'OE' HOBOEEN, NEW JERSEY, AssIGNOB." To KEUFEEL a EssEn.

COMPANY, OE HOEOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOB ADJUSTING OP-TICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Nov. 24., 1914.

Application led April 30, 191B; Serial No, 765,474.

To all whom it may concern: .A

Be itlmown that I, PHLLIP FEnBEna citizen of the United States, residing at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have inventedl certain new and useful Improvements in Means ior Adjust'-y ing Optical Instruments, of which the fol-4 lowing is a .specication This invention relates to means for relatively adjusting optical elements in optical instruments and the like, and its novelty i consists in the construction and adaptation of the parts as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

It is obviousthat in the adjustmentof re.- iiecting elements such as mirrors, or prisms, in optical instruments and in the adjustment of erecting elements and lenses forming portions 01E-.eyepiece combinations v0r objective combinations, it is frequently necessa-ry to make a delicatey but sure adjustment of the parts with respect to each other and to provide means by which theparts may be rigidly secured in their adjusted positions because the divergence of the rays of light caused by the Vangular displacement of one optical `element with respectto another is multiplied by the distance ofl the object from the instrumentl andl any error in adjustment becomes serious in proportion as the object to be viewed through it is near:

or distant from such instrument. rI`he. purpose of this invention 1s to supply a vslmple and convenient means by which such.

sure adjustment of optical elements may be secured and maintained.- j i vIn vthe drawings there areillustrated two embodiments of the invention, one relating to the adjustment of a prism man opticalinstrument, and the other relating to. the

adjustment of a lens, or similar element, in an optical instrument, butit will be under- 1 stood that the principles of the invention are fr equally applicable to the. adjustmenty ,of

other forms of Optical elements or to mechanical elements employed in other rela` tions. f

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom pla-n view of a device embodying the invention Uas applied to the7 adjustment of a prism, por'- tions being shown cut away to show concealed pa.rts;-Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the plane of the line 2/-2 in Fig. 1; Eig.4 3 is a transverse section on thev plane ofthe from the frame 14,; Fig..4 is a detail of the adjustingring; Fig. 5 is a detail of the re-l taining ring; Fig. 6 s a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing the prism moved away from its rame; Fig. 7 isa view of the span-l ner tool used 1n actuating the adjusting ring and` retaining ring; Fig. 8 is a front elevatlon of a devlce embodying theinvention as applied to the-adjustment of a lens, andv big. 9 1s a central transverse section on the plane of the linev9-9 in Fig.` 8, the greater part of the telescope being omitted.

Eirst referring to the device illustrated in Figs, 1 to 6, 10 is a prismrof glass or other suitable material, one face of whichv is secured to a base plate 11 provided on its under surface with a plurality of downwardly projecting lugs 12 suitably aperturedl to fit over pins 13 which are inserted in. recesses formed in the upper portion of tudinal recesses indicated at 19, and in line .with the lugs 12, and transversely arranged across each recess is av rod 20 and between each rod and the part of the base 11 nearest the prism is a leaf spring 21 secured to the frame 14 by screws 22, or other suitable means, and which springs tend` constantly by pressure against the transverse rod 20, to mOve-thebase 11 toward the frame 14.

.Intermedistefthe two recesses 19, the base The basey 1l4 is provided with two longi` 1L;is' provided withl a; threaded aperture adapted to.- receive. ai clamping screw 23 which is adaptedfto loosely fit into an aperture provided .in-an adjusting screw 24 having'an-annular shoulder 25 against' which the head.- 26, of. the screw 23 is adapted to The ring'24 is externally threaded to engage a threaded aperture formed in the frame 1 4 to 'receive it, but its inner annular.. surface is smooth. -An annular recess is made in the* franiel/l 'su'r-rimnding` the ring 24 to provide for the reception of. a retaining -ring 27l which is internally ythreaded and adapted toI .engage th'eexternal threads of the adjusting ring24. The two rings 24'and 27 are provided with recesses. indi cated at 240 and 270 respectively, and adaptedto be engaged-by the prongs 241 and 271 of'a Spanner toolv 30, lshown in Fig. 7.

The manner of using the device is as-'follows: Supposing ythat the -parts are inthe positions shown -in Fig. 2 in which the base 11 is close againstv the frame 14 and it is desired to tilt the prism 10' on its hinges to move it into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 6.. The cap 18 is vfirst removed, then' by means of the Spanner tool 30 the ring 27 is loosened, thenthe screw 23 is either removed or simply loosened as may be required, and Ifinally by means of the Spanner ,tool 30 the ring 24 is rotated and moved forward against the base 11 until the prism is in the desired position, the tension of the springs 2l, 21 always acting against the forward movement of the ring 24 to keep contact between the ring and the base 11.

' When the desired position is secured the screw 23 is put into thefring 24 and rotated' into-the threaded aperture in the base 11l until its head 26 is y' against theannularl shoulder 25 of thel ring 24,'and the basell and the ring 24 are 4thus firmly connected together. 'l'hen as' an'additional precaution to make a surety of such adj ustment, the retaining ring 27 is putl into position to hold the ring 24 against all, change of displacement. 'the lid 18 is then put' into place, A'

to receive screws 230, as hereafter described.

In this embodiment of the device there are three such threaded apertures and screws, but any suitable number may be employed and preferably they should be symmetri callyarranged with reference' to the cenan objective combination is shown, and l which housing is rovid'edwith ahgannular ange 1140 prefere ly correspondihg 'in-siizej. tothe' flange- 111 and provided'with threadeda ertures identical nunnher-v pusitfio'n lwith thesimilar aperturesinthe flange M1'.

edito engage the/threaded apertuieey inthe;v an ef'MOfai-efhcllowl'adjustingscrws '244),` aving. smooth interior guance ossession of an unan-- tral longitudinal axis `of the instrunfient.,v

. 141 represents a tubular housing of a lens or flens combination indicated at 142where menta j and lprovided .with expanded heads 250 which are adapted to contact with the outer 'surface of the flange 140., Arranged to pass throughl the hollow .center of each of these adjusting screws are clamping screws 230 l having heads 260 and having smooth exterior surfaces where they come into contact -wth ,the smooth interior surfaces of the screws 240 and provided with threadedtips 231 bywhich they are ada ted to engage the threaded apertures in the gauge 111. Intermediate the flanges 111 and 140 are'locking rings 270 threaded internally to engage the exterior `Ythreads of the adjusting screws 240 and provided externally with plain angular surfaces or lmurled surfaces by means of which they may be rotated either by a suitable tool, or by hand. v

The manner of using this form of the invention is as follows: The housing 141' is. brought into proximity -to the tube 110 so that theflanges 140 and 111 are in approximately parallel planes, the exterior of the housing being adapted Eto fit within a slightly beaded interior rim 112 with which the tube 11,0 is provided. I A preliminary -rough 'adjustment -is made of the housing with lrespect to the telescope tube 110 by moving thescrews- 240 forward until they contact with the outer surface of the ange 111* and then connecting such screws to the iian'ge 1 11 by means? the clamping screws 230. A- finer adjust ent isv then made'by trial, the screws 230'? eingloosened in each instance and the s crews 240 being advanced or retarded, as the case may be, to approximate the 'desired result, and after any one of the screws-has been adjusted as desired the locking ring 270 is brought back against theinner surface of the flan e 140 and the adjustin'gscrew 240 is' thus oclred in position.

' As three points determine a plane, it lis obvious that if two'of the adjusting screws are fixed' the third, or any other adjustin screw of-the series, may be' moved forwar to contact with Athe flange 111 and in so doing must move againstthe retaining force of the other screws of the series already set, so that the tendency to resist such forward movement of the adjusting screws vis entirely similar to the tension exerted by the springs 21 in the prism adjustment, above descried.

`What ii claiml as new is:

' i. I'n 'an opticalinstrument, the combination with associated members relativelyl adjustable to vary their angularl relation, of a device 'engaaging the members forrelatively adjusting t em, and a connecting device beytwean the adjustingl device androne of the memloers that holds the adjusting device and accidental relative move- A memberi against 2?.;1'11 ari-:optical instrument, the combina- .130

swinging the latter, and a device connecting the adjusting device and the optical element and holding the optical element against accidental swinging movement with respect to the support.

3. In a device of the character described, an optical element provided with a base, a frame adapted to support it and to which it is hinged, a spring ltending to move the base toward the frame, an adjusting device supported by the frame and adapted to be moved toward the base, and means for connecting the adjusting device to the base.

' 4. In a device of the character described, an optical element provided with a base,a

`frame adapted to support it and to which it is hinged, a spring tending to move the base toward the frame, an adjusting device supported by the frame and ac lap'tedto be moved toward the base, and means for connecting the adjusting device tothe base and further means for preventing any accidental displacement of the adjusting device.

5. In a device of the character described, a frame provided with a base, a frame adapted to support it andl to which it is hinged, a spring tendingto move tie base toward the frame, an adjusting device vsupported by the frame and adapted to be moved to ard the base, and means for connecting the adjusting device to the base and fui-ther means for reventing any accidental displacement of th sisting of a retaining adjusting device.

6. In a device of the character described, an optical element provided with a base, a frame adapted to support it, hinge'members secured to the base members secured to the frame, sprin s tending to hold the base andv frame toget ier and means for forcing them apart comprising an adjusting member threaded into the frame ring mounted on said and adapted to be moved againstthe base,

and means for coupling the adjusting memv ber and base together.

Aso

7. In a device of the character described, an optical element provided' with a base, a frame adapted to support it, hinge members secured to the base and coperating hinge members secured to the frame, springs tending to hold the base and frame together and' means for forcing them apart comprising an adjusting member threaded into the frame and adapted' to be moved against the base, and means for coupling the adjusting membei' and base together in combination with e adjusting 'device conl and coperating hinge tothe part against which it has moved after such movement.

9. Means for adjusting two elements with respect t`o each other comprisin an adjusting screw adapted to be threa ed through one element, or connected part, to move against the lother element or connected part, av device tending to counteract such movement, and means for connecting the screw to the part against which it has moved after such movement, and means for locking the adjusting screw in place after such connection has been made.

10. Means for adjusting two elements with respect to each other comprising an adjusting screw adapted to be threaded through one element, to move against the other element, a device tending to counteract such movement, and means for connecting the screw to the element against which element that rotata ly bears on one member and a threaded engagement` with the other member, and another element having a threaded engagement with the first-mentioned member and other element. I

12. In an optical instrument, the combina- Ivotatably bears in the tion with an larly adjustable members, of

means for a justing the same, including a `tubular element having a threaded engagement with one member and rotatably bearing on the other member, and another element having a threaded enga ement with y the last-mentioned member an 'being rotatably mounted in the other element.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP FERBER.'

Witnesses:

MARY H. Lewis, f CLARENCE G. CAMPBELL. 

